I AM DEKU!
by MediaMaster 263
Summary: When Class 1A are presenting their hero names, it is Izuku Midoriya's turn to present. His name strikes confusion in his classmates, but he then explains why this is the name he chose for his career. (Alternate take on Izuku's name reveal in episode 26) Rated T due to Bakugo's language
1. The Name of a Hero

**Ch. 1: The Name of a Hero**

"Well Midoriya, are you ready?" called out R-rated hero, Midnight.

"Oh, yes." answered Izuku Midoriya, hero in training. Today was the day that Class A of U.A. High get to pick out their hero code names for their internship. Most of Izuku's classmates had generic names that defined their superpowers, or quirks like "Invisible Girl" or "Tailman". Others were clever nods like "Red Riot", "Uravity", and "Froppy". Shoto Todoroki an Tenya Iida jst picked their first names however. Now, it was Izuku's turn to reveal his hero name. He got up in front of the class, took a deep breath, and flipped the board. On it, revealed his hero name:

 **DEKU**

Many of the classmates stared in shock as to why he would pick this name. Katsuki Bakugou, the student responsible for the nickname, was also in shock, though he didn't really show it.

"Really Midoriya?" asked Mineta.

"You sure about that?" questioned Kaminari.

"Yeah man. Remember, that could be your name forever." added Kirishima.

Izuku only stared in silence and decided to reveal his answer. "I'm aware of that. This name has been with me for as long as I can remember. It was always a reminder of how useless I was back then and how I could never amount to anything. This name had given me nothing but pain and suffering and was always used to taunt how I was a loser. It kept reminding me that no matter how I dream of being a hero, I would always be helpless." Many of the classmates were now looking intrigued by his answer, not to mention felt a little sorry for their friend.

"I hated it, but someone important in my life changed that for me. Because of that, the meaning of it changed for me. It gave me hope that I can amount to anything I want. He rose a small smile and continued. I no longer view this as an insult to my hopes and dreams. I now view it as a chance to keep moving forward. A word that doesn't mean 'worthless' or 'helpless', but rather it stands for 'never give up'." At that, Ochako Uraraka smiled and blushed as her friend quoted her impute on the name.

"I shall be known as the Hero for All: Deku." announced Izuku, feeling quite proud of himself. Ochako nodded with a smile at her friend, Bakugou merely looked up in confusion and distaste, while the other classmates felt a swell of pride and comfort in their friend, taking something that hurt him in order to push towards his goal. Midnight smiled at the student in admiration as Izuku went back to his seat, knowing full well that one day, "Deku" will be the name of a hero.

 **To Be Continued...**


	2. More Than Meets The Eye

**Author's Note: Before you begin reading this, I would like to formally apologize for the delay of chapter 2. So many things have been going on that it has been hard to keep schedule. Well, better late than never I guess. Hopefully, the wait for chapter 3 won't be so long.**

 **The main reason for the delay is the difficulty of the premise. It's a bit hard to write this sort of story while keeping the characters intact, especially with someone like Bakugo. I know in Fanfiction I can do what I want, but I feel it is a bit of an insult to put characters in scenarios where they wouldn't be in. For example, I want to have Bakugo and Midoriya mend their friendship, but not have either character be too OOC. I hope some of you can understand this**

 **So, this was pretty long. I'll leave it off with check out my YouTube channel and other stories for more content, take a look at some of the original stories I posted on FictionPress, and enjoy chapter 2 of I AM DEKU!**

* * *

 **Ch. 2: More Than Meets The Eye**

Izuku Midoriya wasn't really someone most of the students in Class 1A paid attention to. No one really bothered to get to know Izuku more. Sure, they were friendly to him, but they never knew much about the young man. The most they knew is that he was a very shy, but nice guy with a quick mind and a quirk that was like a double-edged sword. Even Ochaco and Iida didn't know much about Izuku, especially since they consider him their best friend. The only thing they knew outside the general information was that he and Bakugo have some issues that led to such a strained friendship.

After Izuku's announcement of his hero name and of the reason behind it, each classmate decided that it was now time they got to know who exactly was Izuku Midoriya. The only problem was: how exactly were they going to get him to open up. Lots of ideas were suggested to each other, but eventually, they all agreed to just ask Izuku directly. It all happened the next day at school, during lunch. Izuku was currently eating his lunch while trying to further his abilities as a hero.

'Okay, now that I have selected my hero name, I guess the next step is to select a mentor to study under. Who knows when Mr. Aizawa will announce our results for who wants to intern each of us. Not to mention the fact that my quirk still needs some fine tuning. I can control it better than before, but I can only use it at about 5% of it's power without injuring myself greatly. Now, if I can just-' His muttering came to a stop when he saw not only Ochaco and Iida walk towards him, but also Kaminari, Jiro, Kirishima, Momo, Todoroki, Tsuyu, Mina, and Tokoyami walking with them. Izuku also noticed their serious looks of determination on their faces, directing their attention towards Izuku. He could only stare in confusion as each one sat at the table, intending to speak to the hero fanboy.

"Uh, hey guys, everything all right?" asked Izuku, wondering what they wanted to speak to him about. The others looked at each other, and then Iida decided to speak. "Midoriya, we would like you to explain a bit about yourself."

"Huh?"

Kirishima decided to speak up. "The thing is, your whole speech about your hero name was pretty manly, but it kinda makes us wonder what story is behind it.

"Yeah, you seem so nice and kind, but the way you spoke, it sort of left a bad taste in our mouths." said Mina, with Tsuyu, Jiro, and Kaminari nodding in acknowledgement.

"Midoriya, we sense that you aren't exactly happy with the history you have with your hero name." said Momo, with a look of comfort.

"W-w-why ask me? I'm sure Kacchan would explain more than me." stuttered Izuku, completely baffled by their request.

"We would, but it is most likely that Bakugo wouldn't speak about the past, or at the very least elaborate why you two are at odds with each other." explained Todoroki. Tokoyami interjected with, "Besides, it is most likely he's the reason for your troubles, considering he fabricated the name."

"Well, you're not exactly wrong about that." admitted Izuku. "Kacchan's ego does tend to put me down just a bit." Izuku turned to look at Ochaco, fidgeting and looking away. "Guys, I appreciate your concern, but really I-"

Ochaco grabbed Izuku's hand and held them dearly in concern for her friend. "Please Deku. We know there's something that's hurting you and we want to help. I know Bakugo might have been a bully to you in the past, but there is more to it, isn't there?" She then looked directly at him, blushing a bit and shedding a few teardrops, but still holding a straight face. "We're friends right? You can trust us, you know."

Izuku stared in a daze, blushing a bit from the contact from Ochaco, but was stunned by her plea. He looked around and saw their faces, holding concern for the boy. He was so touched that his heart clenched, causing him to keep himself from what Ochaco described as his "ugly face". He could see that these people were here to help and comfort him. He realized how lucky he was to have such great friends. He sighed a bit, removed his hands from Ochaco, and clasped them. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, looked at each one of them, and finally spoke.

"It's not exactly memories I'm fond of. I don't hold a grudge over what Kacchan did, but I won't deny that I didn't necessarily forgave him for his previous actions." The others leaned forward in interest. "I guess it might make sense to go back to the beginning."

XXX

 _Flashback (11 years ago)_

We lived in the same neighborhood, so Kacchan and I were childhood friends. We weren't especially close, but we were at least on good terms. Kacchan was kind of like the leader of our gang back in the day. He was the invincible type who could do anything he put his mind to and always came out on top. Meanwhile, I didn't have any amount of courage in my body and always failed any challenge that came my way.

What most people didn't know is that the kanji for "Izuku" can also be read as "Deku". Because of this, Kacchan nicknamed me Deku, referencing how I can't accomplish anything. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't like he was a bad person. Even though he had an over inflated ego, Kacchan was still an amazing person who could make it as a pro hero. I was impressed by his confidence and strength, being able to do things I can only dream of. However, it all started going down hill when he developed his quirk. He grew even more cocky and started to view everyone as his inferior.

My quirk didn't manifest until I was about 14. So for the time being, I was quirkless to my peers, which only furthered Kacchan's view of me. Most of our interactions were mild teasing, but nothing drastic. Then, all of a sudden, everything changed. All men are not created equal. This was the reality I learned about society at the young age of four."

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
